


The Happiest Place on the Earth

by lar_laughs



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Disneyland, F/M, M/M, post s5ep20 Enemy at the Gate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-20
Updated: 2011-01-20
Packaged: 2017-10-14 21:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/153859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lar_laughs/pseuds/lar_laughs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>...everyone deserves to have an amazing day at the most wonderful place on earth...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everyone’s Screaming on California Screamin’

**Author's Note:**

> I visited Disneyland a couple of months ago. The thought of Ronon trying to blend into the crowds made me grin and this fic was born. Also, I took some liberties with the set up of the start of the ride. So shoot me. I’d also assumed that it would be from Amelia’s POV but Rodney just sort of crept on me. I do like the character input he gave me on her, though. That was helpful!

Amelia hadn’t moved much since Rodney and John had seen her last. She stood with one hip against the wooden pillion, the USAF baseball hat pulled low on her head so that most of her face was in shadow even on this classic sunny day. No one was standing next to her as if she’d announced to one and all that she had the plague. Until today, Rodney had never noticed but she had a stillness about her that made people subconsciously give her space. He wished she would teach her how to do that. There were just too many people streaming around him, going anywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Disneyland was like that, though. Since this trip was his idea, he couldn’t complain… much. There was nothing he liked better than a good roller coaster. John had asked him what he wanted to do while they were on leave and he’d mentioned that it’s been awhile since he’d gotten to ride a roller coaster. _Isn’t my driving enough for you?_ the pilot had joked but he’d made this trip a reality. The plan was to hit all the major parks in Southern California within the next 30 days. They’d invited the whole group but only Amelia and Ronon had jumped at the chance to down high-priced drinks while standing in the hot sun with hundreds of thousands of other people, all waiting for a few moments of fun.

“Where’s he at now?” John asked as they took their places overlooking the waterfront.

Amelia bit her lip to keep from grinning – or maybe it was a snarl. It was hard for Rodney to tell without some other form of context. He was still learning to read Amelia. She lifted a hand to indicate the same ride they’d left him on. “Where do you think?”

“How many times has he ridden?”

“Twenty five. I counted.”

Rodney choked on the information. “You’re kidding me. How has he gotten through the line so many times? Everyone and their mother wants to ride California Screaming today. That lines been the longest in this park.”

This time it was definitely a smirk he saw on Amelia’s face. She seemed to like it when Ronon did something so, well, Ronon-like. “He’s never gotten off. Well, that’s not true. He did after the first ride and I thought we were going to be able to move on but he changed his mind and got back in line. After he waited half an hour, he made a deal with the kids working the ride. From what I can gather, he told them he was trying to break a record and he’d see it worth their time if they let him just stay on.”

“Sounds like Ronon,” John murmured, his hand on Rodney’s lower back as he scanned the crowd. He wasn’t a big fan of all the people, either. If his posture was any indication to what he was thinking, his scan was for someone intent on harm. Rodney wondered if a Wraith with mouse ears sitting jaunitly on top of their head would look scary or just blend in.

“Yeah, well, I’m bored. Will you guys watch him for a bit while I get something to drink and visit the ladies?”

Rodney nodded absently. The cars were coming back to their starting position and it was easy to see why several video cameras were being pointed toward the station. There was Ronon, in the very first car, his arms up in the air and the sounds of his gleeful screams filling the air.

“How does he always have so much fun?” Rodney asked, contemplating the enigma that was the large Satedan. “He’s like a little kid.”

“War makes some people draw into themselves. In others, like our Ronon, it makes the realize how important everything else is.” It was hard to see behind John’s mirrored sunglasses but Rodney could hear the tightness in his voice that gave away some of his own experiences. “My guess is that right now he’s not only having fun for himself but for all the friends he’s lost over the years. At some point, he’s whispered Melena’s name. And Kia’s. And Tyre’s. He’s living in the moment.”

A young boy got in beside Ronon as the newest batch of riders entered the ride. He didn’t seem to mind his fellow rider until Ronon clapped him on the shoulder and said something that made the boy’s face turn white.

“Maybe you should do something before he gets himself kicked out of the park for freaking out too many guests.”

“Me? Why me? You’re the one who likes rides,” but John was already moving toward the line.

It wasn’t long before Amelia was back, a large bottle of water in one hand and a Mickey balloon tied to the other wrist. “Where’d you lose John?”

Rodney indicated the front of the line where John was deep in conversation with a relieved looking operator. “I’m hoping he’s going to try to get Ronon off the ride. For all I know, he’ll join him for the rest of the afternoon and we’ll be forced to find our own fun.”

“That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?” She nudged him with an elbow, the balloon waving past his head like a deranged and bloated fly. “I’m sure we could get through a couple of rides before they get bored. What?”

“Nothing.” He tried to straighten his features out but Rodney knew he’d looked scared at the prospect of spending time alone with Amelia. He was certain she was very nice but she was new in his safe, little world. They didn’t have any established conversation topics. He wasn’t sure where she stood on the current political situation in the country… or if she even cared.

But she was smarter than Rodney had ever given her credit for, something which John had warned him about when he’d first expressed his anxious thoughts of having to interact with the new girl. Her smile wasn’t mocking him but it also didn’t have the trace of hurt he sometimes saw when he tried and failed to hold back his inner thoughts.

“I don’t bite, Rodney. Besides, I haven’t gotten to ride many of the other rides. So far, my trip to Disneyland has been all about standing in this one spot. I used to love coming here when I was a kid.”

“Oh yeah? What was your favorite ride?”

“You won’t laugh?” He shook his head. “I have this thing for It’s A Small World. I always tried to imagine myself in each of the different rooms.”

Rodney nodded, surprised at her answer. “Me, too. I mean, not when I was a kid because we never came down to the States but the last time I was here before I was assigned to the SGC. There are so many places to look.”

“Have you found all the Mickey profiles?”

“Of course.” He was a little put out that she’d even asked. It had taken four rides but he’d finally found them all in that particular ride.

“Yeah. Me, too.” Amelia leaned forward to catch Ronon’s eye as he went by at a much slower pace than the rest of the ride. This time, John was sitting next to him. “You’re crazy, you know.”

Ronon blew her a kiss. “But you love me.” And then they were gone, pushed forward by a power great enough to get the ride moving at a fast clip without an initial drop.

“Yeah, I do,” she admitted in a much lower voice. “It’s like lugging around a six-foot four-year-old. I bet he’d start throwing a tantrum if I threatened to go back to the hotel now.”

“But you can’t,” Rodeny protested. “We haven’t even done the other park. You need to ride It’s a Small World before you go back.”

This time her smile was laced with something like mocking. “I was just joking. No way am I leaving this place until they kick me out. There’s too much to do. Even just standing in one spot like this, it’s a different park every few minutes. There’s so much to see. People watching is ridiculous. I don’t think I’ve seen the same people twice.”

“Really? Because I keep running into this annoying little boy who sticks his tongue out every time he sees me.”

She ran the sweating bottle up the inside of her arm as she turned around to contemplate him. “How is it that you find someone who doesn’t like you wherever you go?”

“What?” he asked weakly.

“Ronon’s mentioned it a couple of times. No matter where you go, you find the one person who doesn’t like you and you fixate on them. Have you thought about sticking your tongue out at him? Bet he’d stop and you’d never see him again.”

“John mentioned something similar to that as a solution.” Rodney rubbed a hand along his forehead. The hat he’d picked out earlier in the day was starting to make his skin itch. He personally didn’t like wearing hats but John had insisted that he get something to cover up his head so he didn’t have to pull out the sunscreen at precise half hour intervals.

“Well… I… no, I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Sure you have. But you can’t help but think of all the times you did something like that and got beat up for your trouble. Am I right?”

He narrowed his eyes at her but she only smiled at him with a knowing smile that was so much like Teyla’s it hurt for him to see it. “I never got beat up.”

“Really? How did you not get beat up at least once a week? Are they nicer in Canada?”

“They were scared of my sister,” he murmured, fumbling about for something to say that would get this conversation going in a new direction. If he walked away, he’d be leaving John behind and he had no desire to see the rest of the park without him at his side. It amazed him how much five years could change the way he saw the world and wanted to experience it.

“Really? I wish I could meet her. She must be one bad a-“

“Look!” Rodney pointed to the empty cars that were rolling up to the awaiting riders. John and Ronon were nowhere to be seen. “I wonder where they’ve gone.”

Amelia scanned the crowd, breaking into a huge smile when she spotted them. “Food. I should have thought about enticing him with food. God, your John is amazing.”

That brought a huge smile to Rodney’s face. “Yes. Yes, he is.”


	2. Not Everyone is Small in the Small World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...remember your manners when you're at the happiest place on earth...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I mentioned writing about Ronon being at Disneyland, a couple of friends thought it would be amusing if he rode It’s a Small World. I thought so, too. The little boy with the blue mouth is a real person who assured his mother, while in line for the train around the park, that the train would come if they were patient. “Remember, Mama?” We all got a good laugh about that.

It was agreed upon that Ronon was only allowed to ride any other ride three times in a row. “They frown on people staying on the rides,” Amelia reminded him. “How much did you have to pay those kids to let you do it as often as you did this morning?”

Ronon had only shrugged, not looking the least bit embarrassed at what he’d done. In his mind, Amelia was sure, he’d made it right when he’d come to terms with them and since none of the workers had seemed willing to tell him no, he’d been in the right with his actions. “Where are we going now?”

“Three times. I’m not letting you go anywhere else until we agree on three times.” She shook his arm as if she might be able to make him mind her. Four-year-old, indeed. At least she was able to scare the average toddler into seeing things her way most of the time.

“Three times. I promise.” His kiss was enough to make her forget the park and head back to the hotel just so she could fall into his kisses without being reminded with every shriek and laugh around them that they were in a crowd and bound to be noticed. “Where do you want to go?”

“He can be polite.” John peered at them over the top of his sunglasses. “I never thought I’d live to see that day when Ronon was finally taught some manners.”

This earned him a toothy grin but Ronon turned back to Amelia right after playfully punching John in the stomach. “So, where to?”

“Let’s go into the main park. We’ll work our way to the back of the park. What do you think, guys? Are you up for a trip on the Matterhorn?”

Rodney groaned, his eyes bulging slightly. “Not the Matterhorn. I got sick on that ride.”

“I thought you liked roller coasters,” John chided. “What are we doing here if you don’t like coasters.”

“I like roller coasters, just not that one. A kid got sick just after he got off it last time I was in line. It… well, I’ve never been able to ride the Matterhorn.”

Amelia couldn’t fault him for a memory like that. It was the same reason she’d never be able to ride the Erasure at the state fair anymore. Not since she rode it with Matt Grayson right after he’d tried to break the record for eating the most blueberry cobbler. She hadn’t looked at blueberries the same after that, either.

“What’s the Matterhorn?” Ronon’s eyes were shining with excitement. It was easy to forget that he hadn’t spent all his life hearing the names of these rides and getting excited at the prospect of getting to ride them for himself. It was a rite of passage to get to ride the Matterhorn. Of course, he’d ridden the best roller coaster at the park first. Odds were he’d think everything else paled in comparison.

“Something you have to see for yourself. Come on, boys. Let’s get going.”

If Ronon had enjoyed California Adventure, he was ecstatic about the main Disney park. Not only did he point out every detail from the flowers hanging from the light poles shaped like Mickey heads to the entertaining tableaus in the windows on Main Street, but he made them stand in line with him so he could meet Mickey, himself. It was funny to see the mouse being picked up by the large man but neither seemed to mind the laughter from everyone else in line.

One of the little boys tugged at Ronon’s shirt after they started walking again. “Hey, mister. Aren’t you the guy who rode California Screamin’?

He sunk down to a crouch that put him eye to eye with the tow-headed tyke. “I did. Did you ride it?”

“Nah. Too scared. Did you ride it a hunnerd times?”

“Something like that. You should give it a try. It’s fun.” He stood back up and let the child’s mother usher him away from the possible threat. “How come mothers don’t like me talking to their kids?”

Amelia had been ready for this question all day long. Earth was not as pleasant to Ronon as she thought it should be. Even if he didn’t know all the rules right away, he wasn’t exactly going to start kidnapping and hurting children just because he was large and intimidating looking. “For the same reason you shoot Wraith as soon as you see them. You never know what they’re going to do and you know what they’re capable of.”

When he didn’t answer, she tugged at his belt loops so that he was walking closer to her again. “You’re not a threat. The kids know that. Why else do you think they gravitate to you? Mothers are a different breed, though. They’re programmed to make sure that their kids don’t do anything especially stupid that will get them in trouble.”

“Like talking to me.”

This time she stopped him so she could tug him down to look in her eyes. “It’s their job to be scared for their children. Don’t take them too seriously. Most especially, don’t let them ruin your fun.” When she kissed him, he was the one who seemed reluctant to pull away this time.

“Come on, guys. You’re falling behind,” John hollered from up ahead. It was exactly what Ronon needed to pull him out of the funk this interaction had put him in.

He smiled down at her. “We’re falling behind.”

“And _that_ would be bad. How ‘bout we see if we can’t beat them to Small World?” Amelia pulled at his hand. “Come on. Hurry.”

But, as always, John was up for the challenge. It was only because of Amelia’s quick thinking to actually take the longer way through FantasyLand that saved them enough time that they got to the long line just ahead of John and Rodney.

“This line goes on forever. We’re never going to get to ride,” Ronon growled, shifting from foot to foot as he surveyed the hundred or so people in front of them.

The little boy in front of them turned around, his lips and tongue blue from the Ring Pop he was gleefully licking. “You gotta be patient.”

This time Ronon was a little more reluctant to bend down so that he was in the little boy’s line of sight but the mother smiled at him, inviting their group to share in the joke. Amelia tugged at his sleeve, letting him know it would be alright this time.

“Oh yeah? Patient? I’m not very good at being patient.”

“Mama says that we have to be patient. If we are, we’ll get to ride every ride in the entire park.”

Ronon’s face lit up with delight. “Do you think you can do it? Ride every ride?”

“Sure. Well, except the scary ones.”

“Which ones are scary?” he asked as if he was taking a survey of the rides they should stay away from.

The little boy gave it some thought. “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is the scariest. I tried to keep my eyes open but I didn’t. But don’t tell my mama, okay? She thinks I was brave.” Ronon pretended to zip his lips shut, something Amelia had taught him to do. The gesture, used properly, made her giggle. “And Dumbo. It goes really high.”

“How high?”

The exact measurement from the little boy’s flat hand to the ground was probably three feet but Ronon nodded sagely, taking the advice to heart. Considering the ride he’d spent most of the morning on, three feet was nothing to sneeze at.

She tugged him to his feet as the line started to move forward. “See? Patience was all it took. We’re going to be on the ride in no time.”

“How many loops are we going to go around?”

Amelia’s heart sunk down to her stomach. “There are no loops. Not a lot of ups and downs either. There’s a song, though.”

“A song?” He raised an eyebrow at her, but, she was happy to see, it was the right one. If it had been the left, she would have suggested they try another ride.

“It’s very cheerful. You’ll love it.” But she knew the odds that he was going to enjoy this ride weren’t in her favor. That was a pity because she was hoping to at least get a second run-through so she could verify that she’d found all the Hidden Mickeys in case they’d changed them.

She kept up a cheerful monologue until they got into the floating car. The little boy with the blue mouth was in front them, his own chatter silenced as they started moving and his eyes wide with awe. Instead of looking around her as they entered the darkened area, Amelia kept her gaze on Ronon. At first, he looked skeptical and then a bit irritated.

“Mama! Mama!” the little boy exclaimed in front of them, snagging her gaze. “It’s WONDERFUL!”

When she turned around, Ronon was grinning just as broadly as the little boy. “What exactly am I seeing?”

It took most of the ride to fully explain the idea behind all the singing and dancing little dolls who were dwarfed by the large man staring at them in fascination. On the second trip through, he was singing along and encouraging everyone in the car to join in with him. Surprisingly, they did. That was the sort of thing that happened when a large man clapped a person on the shoulder and told them to sing along because it was fun.

After four trips through It’s a Small World, she reminded him of their deal. This time they paused in the little store that was at the exit to the ride. “What’s all this?”

Amelia shrugged. She’d never been one for knicknacks. “Crap that they want you to buy. Come on. I think John and Rodney are in TomorrowLand.”

But he was hooked. They didn’t leave until he’d picked out one of every little It’s a Small World doll and a few of the princess figurines, as well. As they stood in line to pay, she tugged at his sleeve. “What are you going to do with these? It’s not like you have a lot of space in your room and… hello, dolls?”

He shook his head, trying to silence her but she persisted. The key to making Ronon talk when he didn’t want to was a variety of nagging and charm. She was getting good at using both.

“You’ll see,” was all he said.

It took awhile for her to fully understand what he was doing. They walked into the crowds of parents and children that nearly overwhelmed FantasyLand. Whenever they came across a small child who didn’t look terrified at Ronon’s size, he asked them if they’d been to It’s a Small World. If they hadn’t, he told him about how much fun he’d had and offered them on of the toys in his bag. If they had, he asked them what their favorite part had been. After their discussion, he opened up his bag of toys and let them pick one. “To remember your time here by,” he told each and every one of them.

Amelia had tears in her eyes by the time he held up an empty sack. “You really are wonderful. You know that, right?”

He didn’t answer but she saw how happy the good deeds had made him. If Disney had any sense, they would have hired him on the spot. Instead, they went off to enjoy the rest of the park like the adults they were. At the end of the day, when Rodney asked him what his favorite ride was, Ronon just shrugged. “I rode all of them except for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. It’s hard to pick a favorite.”

John laughed. “You _didn’t_ ride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride?”

“I have it on good authority that it’s scary.”

The men laughed but Amelia just put her arm around him and hugged him tight. She had it on good authority that she’d picked the perfect man. It had taken a trip to Disneyland for her to verify it all over again.


End file.
